Brain Injury Rehabilitation through Nutrition and Supplementation

People are often curious as to why I, a severe traumatic brain injury survivor, place so much emphasis on nutrition and supplementation during and after recovery. My name is Cavin Balaster. In 2011, I fell 20 feet from a rooftop water tower scaffolding. My head struck the steel scaffolding on the way down before crashing onto the concrete rooftop below. I was rushed to the hospital and put on life support. While in a coma, an MRI revealed a severe diffuse axonal injury (DAI), which is one of the most devastating types of brain injury. Statistically, over 90% of patients with this injury never regain consciousness, and those who do wake up will often remain in a persistent vegetative state. 1

After 12 days in a coma, I woke with severe brain fog, memory loss, breathing problems, and I was unable to eat, walk, or talk for months. An enormous amount of work and therapy played into my rehabilitation as I worked to regain everyday faculties… As I relearned how to live.

I would remain in a severe brain fog while I relearned normal abilities, until the results of a blood test about a year after my injury led me to an incredibly important realization. My protein levels were shown to be low, which was surprising to me, because I was eating meat with every meal and having a protein shake daily. My digestion was not delivering at least some of the nutrients that my brain and body needed, and the intensely difficult work I was doing to heal myself was not being properly supported. Like a house is unable to be built without materials, the brain is unable to heal without brain-building nutrients.

Leaky Gut Syndrome is a condition caused by increased permeability of the intestinal wall, resulting in the inability to absorb many nutrients. It is a condition known to be common with many conditions including brain injuries 2, and brain diseases 3, as well as being very common with people who have been hospitalized and put on NSAIDs and antibiotics 4, 5.

Rebooting The Gut/Brain Axis
Nutrition and supplementation were cornerstone pieces in the process of restoring the communication between my gut and my brain; finally supplying the brain building nutrition that was needed to repair at least some of my brain damage. When looking at supplementation to support an injured brain, we first have to address inflammation in both the gut and the brain.

Some supplements that act as strong antioxidants and that are able to cross the blood-brain-barrier include transdermal glutathione, bioavailable turmeric, liquid resveratrol, and melatonin. Melatonin is a highly efficient free radical scavenger and general antioxidant, but TBI survivors exhibit reduced melatonin levels after an injury 6, 7. Luckily, we can supplement melatonin in pretty therapeutic doses.

I first had to heal my digestion so that I could absorb the nutrients for my neuronal health.

While these compounds can be used to reduce the inflammation, it is especially important to eliminate the source by cleaning up the diet. After removing packaged and processed foods, I removed common inflammatories. This included gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, refined sugar, soy, shellfish, and most grains.

While practicing an elimination protocol and supplementing to quell the inflammation, next we would look towards immune support. Supplements for this include emulsified vitamin D, liposomal vitamin C, colostrum PRP spray, and fermented cod liver oil (for fat soluble vitamins like A and D, as well as omega 3s). These compounds would help to boost my immune system, and, because about 70% of the entire immune system is found in the intestinal tract 8, they would also work to support my digestion.

There is certainly no cookie cutter approach to brain injury treatment, but there may be a common starting point for a successful recovery. One of the most pivotal realizations that I made surrounding my injury was that there are ways that I could nutritionally support my neuronal health at a cellular level, and thereby support brain plasticity, but I first had to heal my digestion so that I could absorb the nutrients for my neuronal health. I did so through nutrition and supplementation.

For guidance on how to use nutrition and supplementation to heal your gut (for better brain health), watch this free webinar about leaky gut from my friends at SCD Lifestyle. I worked as a researcher on this program, and we’ve become friends.

3 Reasons you Should Care about Nutrition if you Care about your Brain

About Cavin Balaster

In 2011, I fell two stories, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, and was comatose for 12 days. I was diagnosed with a diffuse axonal injury -- Approximately 90% of people with this type of injury never regain consciousness. After relearning to eat, walk, and talk, I began a journey to spread awareness about health and recovery.

Wow– I have been making nutrition and gut-health a cornerstone of my son’s recovery from a DAI/severe TBI–your article is the first one I’ve seen to address this. Awesome–and Kudos to you Cavin! (I have a stepson named Cavin too!). Thank you for your post–I will definitely be following you. I’m challenged at times because of the struggles my son has with swallowing–but have been gradually getting closer to a vegan.live-food based diet for him. I have worked hard to keep his diet organic, gluten free and and as much live, real food as possible. Supplementation is huge as well–and I will be following up on some of your ideas that I have not implemented yet. I just wanted to complement you on your vision, dedication, knowledge and willingness to educate others. #StayStrong

Just in case it didn’t reach you, I wanted to thank you for the kind words. Another Cavin?! That’s so cool! Say hi for me!

I understand how it can be challenging. My swallowing is difficult too! I’m surprised at the lack of nutritional information in regard to brain injury and gut health. I view it as fundamental to a strong recovery for many reasons, and I’m glad to hear you’ve adopted that mindset as well!

I will continued to update more about supplementation and nutrition, and I’m pleased to know you’re in this community!

This article hits the nail on the head for me. I’ve spent the last 15 years recovering from a TBI, and nutrition was one of the biggest factors in my improvement over the years. My doctor and I have been piecing stuff together over the years. Thanks for the insight.

Congrats on 15 years! I’m just coming up to year 5. Glad to hear nutrition has played a positive role for you too. I really think it is fundamental to health and healing, and I’d love to know more about what has worked for you!

My husband REFUSES TO EAT ! He is losing weight at an alarming rate ! I don’t know what else to do! While he was hospitalized he started eating and walking and talking …today he does NONE of those , please someone help me help him . He has no insurance so we have no where to turn

Thanks for sharing. I completely understand your frustration and am sorry to hear about your situation. As a survivor myself, I can tell you that, whether hes able to show it or not, your husband is grateful to have you as his support. Nutrition is, I believe, a fundamental piece of the recovery puzzle, just like strength training–and making sure he’s getting the right nutrition demonstrates that you are a good caregiver.

Without knowing much about your situation, I might advise that you share your situation and pose your request within several different TBI online support groups, on forums, Facebook or G+ for example, and see if there are other supporters who have experienced something similar.

Hi Calvin
My 4 year old daughter suffered brain damage after contracting a virus that damaged her occipital lobe when she was 1, causing vision loss. In the 3 years since, she has made amazing progress, now being able to see colours, most of the time knowing there is something in front of her (but doesn’t know what), and when she is concentrating enough (and the font is large enough), can ID single letters.
My question to you, do you have any advice/knowledge on diet for a 4 year old to help her even more? She has a probiotic daily and has a pretty good diet for her age, eats a wide variety of foods.

It sounds like you’re doing quite well with making sure she’s getting real foods! I talk more about that and anti-inflammatory foods in my speech at NORA. Without knowing more about your situation, I might also just add that healthy fats are extremely important for our developing bodies, and especially the developing and healing brain.

You’re welcome to mail me directly! I hope to have more things published soon on this very subject. 🙂

I sustained a head injury via car accident in March of 2006. Suffered severe trauma to my right shoulder, right hip, and my brain itself. Reason why I have decided to share on this website is my appetite has more than doubled since before I was injured. Why is this?

I must have missed your comment (I just got back from a long tour across the US and Canada). I also used to experience insatiable hunger. That is until I learned what nutrients my brain was craving and began to supply themthem am soon to release my book: “How to Feed a Brain: Nutrition for Optimal Brain Function and Repair” which outlines how I agree and continue to heat for better brain health. Check it out at feedabrain.com, and you can get the updated list of supplements that I recommend for better beain function (and appetite control) there (just sign up).

It’s interesting to learn about brain rehabilitation. I have never thought about the relationship between the gut and the brain before, but it makes sense. If your stomach can’t absorb healing nutrients, your brain won’t heal!

I had head injury/stroke/brain damage 30 years ago, originally diagnosed as ear infection(don’t know why since I never complained about my ears). Took me over seven years to relearn
how to talk,read,do math again all on my own. Then started
experimenting with herbs/supplements/nutrition. I once
convinced doctor my protein metabolisim was damaged. I got amino
acids(22) Balance Test,several years after head injury. Results
were that five were 10X too low, five were 10X too high outside
of normal range. Upon reading results doctor said “its impossible,
you wouldn’t be alive” and so ignored results.
I told my entire story and 30 years exp of experiments to two
Brain injury organizations but none were interested. A Neurologist
I consulted with said everything I’ve done and experimented with
are theoretical only. I said “you guys are 40 years behind the times!
They work!”

”Cavin Balaster has accomplished something important in the field of nutrition and self-healing that few authors have been able to do, made even more remarkable by his own experience with traumatic brain injury.”